Associates: Shannon MacArthur and Adrienne Taylor
Grade: Primary & Junior ESL
Northwood Elementary School
1100 Northwood Street , Windsor, Ontario N9E 1A3
519-969-7610
Principal: Rob Romano
Formative Report: Practicum 2 Northwood Formative
Summative Report: Practicum 2 Summative
Self-Reflections:
I have recognised the differentiated learning prevalence to this class of students. The teaching is definitely dependent on the students and their daily abilities, as their comprehension of English is so ever-changing. The students are eager to learn and their learning is so varied. Some students come into the classroom (at any time during the school year) understanding no English, while others understand some. At the same time, there are already students who have learned important concepts already. The class is composed of students from grade one to three. My associates have explained that when they go back to their homeroom classrooms, there are often on modified learning plans. Students are assigned classroom jobs and duties—they help make the classroom run smoothly. I have noticed that the difference between the outgoing and shy students greater corresponds with their level of English comprehension and confidence in speaking and understanding English.
In an ESL, for language arts, we plan our lessons according the ESL Steps curriculum document. When planning for Math and Science, we use the Ontario curriculum, but we do not necessarily use the Grade that the students pertain to. I have been writing anecdotal notes about my group of students that I have been doing guided reading with—I write about their knowledge retention, vocabulary difficulties, and reading fluency. For my science lessons, I did a ‘midterm’ sort of activity about a week after I had been teaching the Plants unit and a cumulating activity at the end of the unit. My first lesson into the unit determined my students’ prior knowledge about plants, so that I could decide where the next steps in my lessons were. My experience in this classroom has been a unique and beyond valuable opportunity. The students have been such a pleasure to teach.